Lady Pirates take second at Hermitage Tourney

HERMITAGE - Macks Creek took part in the Hermitage Tournament over the weekend and came away with a second place finish.

Game 1 - (1) Macks Creek 13, (8) Hermitage 3

Macks Creek opened play on Friday night with a 13-3 opening round victory over the host Hermitage Lady Hornets.

Macks Creek jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Jaci Hix walked and stole second ahead of a Miriah Collins walk. Faith Manning followed with a line drive to center, plating Jaci and moving Collins to third. After stealing second, Morgan Mashburn would be hit-by-a-pitch to load the bases. Following a strike out, Juli Hix would draw a walk and plate Collins. A strikeout would end the inning.

Hermitage answered with two of their own in the top of the second. Kristen Neidel singled and Kendra Owens was hit-by-a-pitch and replaced by pinch runner Lauren Baker. A single by Alyssa Owens would load the bases. Alex Duryee drew a walk to plate Neidel and Ashley Wise hit a fielder's choice that scored Baker. They would later take the lead in the third on two Macks Creek errors and a wild pitch.

Macks Creek erupted for six runs in their half of the third. The decisive blow came on Manning's bases loaded triple to center to help push the lead to 8-3. They would score five runs in the fourth to put this one out of reach. Jaci, Collins and Hix would each collected RBI's in the inning.

Jaci Hix moved her record to 5-2 with the win. The Sophomore worked all five innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits while striking out five, walking three, and hitting one batter.

Cheyenena Jennings took the loss for the Lady Hornets. She worked four innings, allowing 13 runs, seven earned, on 11 hits while striking out three, walking five and hitting one batter as well.

Jaci paced the offense in game one with a three-for-three game at the plate, as well as three runs scored and two RBI's. Faith Manning collected two singles and a triple, using those to drive in six runs for the Lady Pirates. Miriah Collins, Morgan Mashburn, Sydnee Daugherty, Audrey Whalen, and Micah Schmidt each singled in the contest. Collins, Whalen, and Haley Linton scored twice apiece while Daugherty, Juli, Schmidt, and Hayley Brown crossed once. Collins, Juli, Whalen, and Schmidt also collected RBI's.

Cheyenna Jennings, Kristen Neidel, and Alyssa Owens collected the only hits for Hermitage. Neidel also scored twice while Lauren Baker scored once. Ashley Wise had an RBI in the contest as well.

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Game 2 - (1) Macks Creek 12, (4) Dadeville 2 (5 innings)

Macks Creek advanced to the Championship game of the tournament with a 12-2 win over the Dadeville Lady Bearcats in the semifinals.

Following a quick top half of the first, the Lady Bearcats plated a single run when April Witt reached on an error, stole second, advanced to third on another error and scored on a ground ball to short. The lead would be short-lived.

Macks Creek plated three runs in their half of the second and did not trail again in the contest. Juli Hix was hit-by-a-pitch and Haley Linton reached on an error by the pitcher. Brooke Hussey then singled to load the bases. Following a pop out to center field, Jaci Hix drove in her sister from third with a sacrifice fly to right, which also saw Linton move to third. Miriah Collins would walk to load the bases again, right ahead of a Faith Manning double to right that plated both Linton and Hussey and increased the lead to 3-1. Manning would be thrown out at second after over running the bag.

The Lady Pirates plated two more runs in the third, while Dadeville plated a single tally to set the score at 9-2. In the fourth, Macks Creek would send 10 hitters to the plate and score five runs to push their advantage to 10-2. They would utilize two walks and four hits to do the damage. They would also push two more across in the fifth to create the final margin.

Morgan Mashburn picked up her fourth win against two losses for the Fall with five innings of work. The Junior allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits while striking out six and walking one hitter.

Tyler Pringle took the loss for Dadeville. She worked three-and-two-thirds of an inning, allowing 10 runs, five earned, on eight hits while striking out five, walking five, and hitting one batter. Abby Jarman worked the final inning-and-a-third, allowing two runs on one hit while striking out two, walking four, and hitting one batter.

Faith Manning and Brooke Hussey paced the offense with three hits each. Manning was three-for-three while Hussey was three-for-four. Manning collected two RBI's and two runs scored while Hussey scored once and had three RBI's. Morgan Mashburn, Sydnee Daugherty, and Micah Schmidt also collected singles in the contest for the Lady Pirates. Jaci Hix and Miriah Collins each walked and scored, Mashburn crossed the plate once while Juli Hix walked twice, was hit-by-a-pitch, scored two runs, and had an RBI. Haley Linton was on base three times and scored two runs and Schmidt collected an RBI. Jaci and Schmidt also collected RBI's while Daugherty scored two runs.

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April Witt and Abby Jarman collected the only two hits for the Lady Bearcats. Witt also scored the only two runs. Jarman and Tyler Pringle had RBI's in the contest. Jaycee Herd reached on a walk.

Championship Game - (3) Montrose 5, (1) Macks Creek 3

Macks Creek fell to the Montrose Lady Blue Jays in the Championship game by the score of 5-3.

Following a quiet top of the first by the Lady Pirates, Montrose banged out three straight singles to load the bases. An infield fly to second and a strike out created a bases loaded, two outs situation. The sixth-place hitter for the Lady Blue Jays, Kylie Ackerman, ripped a high fly ball to center field that Lady Pirates center fielder Bryttanee Owens was able to track down and haul in to end the threat and keep the score tied a zero.

After another quick inning in the visitor half of the second, Montrose plated three runs in their half. Audrey Collins and Chelsey Roth lead off with single before an Emily Bracher ball to short cut off Audrey at third. Ashley Fennewald then ripped a ball to the center field wall, which allowed Roth and Bracher to score and Fennewald to move to third on the throw home. She would later come in to score on a Natalie Collins single up the middle to create a 3-0 lead.

Macks Creek responded with three runs of their own in the top of the fourth. Morgan Mashburn drew a walk ahead of a Sydnee Daugherty fly out to left. Juli Hix then singled to put runners at first and second. Haley Linton then hit a ball to short, where Mashburn was forced out a third. Brooke Hussey then blooped a single into right and pushed Juli across and move Linton to third. Following a stolen base, Micah Schmidt ripped a ball to left that allowed both Linton and Hussey to score, tying the game at 3-3.

Montrose would score one run in the fifth, using two hits and one error, before scoring a single tally in the sixth for a 5-3 lead.

Macks Creek went quietly in their halves of the fifth and sixth before mounting a small rally in the seventh. With two outs Juli singled to left and was lifted for pinch-runner Cheyene Hayes. She would steal second and move to third when the ball sailed into center field. Linton, batting after Juli, worked back from an 0-2 count to walk and then steal second, bringing Hussey to the plate. With a 1-0 count she laced a sinking line drive to left field that was just snagged by the left fielder, ending the game.

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Jaci Hix took the loss in the circle for the Lady Pirates and falls to 5-3. She worked six innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on 12 hits while striking out seven, walking two, and hitting one batter.

Chelsey Roth picked up the win with a complete game. She allowed three runs on nine hits while striking out five and and walking three.

Faith Manning, Juli Hix, and Brooke Hussey each collected two hits in four trips to the plate. Juli and Hussey also scored a run each. Jaci Hix also singled while Sydnee Daugherty and Micah Schmidt each collected doubles in the contest. Haley Linton reached base twice and scored a run and Morgan Mashburn reached on a walk and an error.

Chelsey Roth paced the Lady Blue Jays' offense with a four-for-four game at the plate and two runs scored. Audrey Collins, Ashley Fennewald, and Kylie Ackerman each collected two hits in the contest and Rylea Marshall and Natalie Collins collected a single each. Emily Bracher scored a single run and Fennewald scored twice. Fennewald also knocked in two runs with Ackerman and Natalie collecting one RBI each.

"Good tournament and week overall for us," Coach Jason Trusty said. "We were able to finish second here today and 3-1 for the week, counting our game on Monday."

The Lady Pirates have a busy week of softball with four games on the schedule. They traveled to Hermitage on Monday from which they emerged with an 18-1, three-inning victory and now take to the road again on Tuesday to face Stover. On Thursday they play host to Central (Springfield) and then Stoutland on Friday.